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UJesu Ugwetshelwa Ukubethelwa
1 UPhilathu wasemthatha uJesu wathi katshaywe ngemvubu. 2 Amabutho eluka umqhele wameva awubeka ekhanda lakhe. Amgqokisa isigqoko esiyibubende 3 aya kuye aphindaphinda ememeza esithi, “Bayethe! Nkosi yamaJuda!”
4 UPhilathu waphinda waphuma wathi kumaJuda, “Khangelani, sengimkhupha ngimlethe kini ngilazisa ukuthi kangifumani sizatho sokumethesa icala.” 5 Kwathi uJesu ephuma egqoke umqhele wameva, egqoke isigqoko esiyibubende, uPhilathu wathi kubo, “Iboneni-ke, nansi indoda!”
6 Abaphristi abakhulu lezikhulu zabo bonela ukumbona bamemeza bathi, “Mbethele! Mbethele!”
Kodwa uPhilathu waphendula wathi, “Mthatheni limbethele lina. Mina, kangifumani sizatho sokumethesa icala.”
7 AmaJuda aphikelela athi, “Thina silomthetho, ngakho mayelana lalowomthetho kumele afe ngoba uzithi uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu.”
8 UPhilathu wathi ekuzwa lokhu wesaba kakhulu, 9 wasebuyela esigodlweni. Wabuza uJesu wathi, “Ungowangaphi wena?” Kodwa uJesu kamphendulanga. 10 UPhilathu wathi, “Kawufuni kukhuluma lami? Awuboni yini ukuthi mina ngilamandla okukukhulula lawokukubethela?”
11 UJesu waphendula wathi, “Kawulawo amandla phezu kwami ongawaphiwanga evela phezulu. Ngakho-ke, lowo onginikele kuwe ulecala lesono esikhulu kakhulu.”
12 Kusukela lapho uPhilathu wazama ukukhulula uJesu, kodwa amaJuda aqhubeka ememeza esithi, “Nxa uyekela umuntu lo ahambe, kawulabungane loKhesari. Lowo ozitshaya inkosi uphikisana loKhesari.”
13 UPhilathu esezwe lokhu, wamletha phandle uJesu, yena wasehlala esihlalweni sakhe sokwahlulela endaweni eyayithiwa yisiGcawu Esigandelwe Ngamatshe (okuthiwa ngesiHebheru yiGabatha). 14 Kwakulusuku lokuLungisela iViki yePhasika, ngehola lesithupha.
UPhilathu wathi kumaJuda, “Nansi inkosi yenu.”
15 Kodwa amemeza athi, “Msuse! Msuse! Mbethele!”
UPhilathu wabuza wathi, “Ngibethele inkosi yenu na?”
Abaphristi abakhulu bamphendula bathi, “Kasilankosi ngaphandle kukaKhesari.”
16 Ekucineni uPhilathu wamnikela kubo ukuba abethelwe.
Ukubethelwa KukaJesu
Ngakho amabutho amthatha uJesu. 17 Wathwala isiphambano, wasuka waya endaweni yoKhakhayi (okuthiwa ngesiHebheru yiGoligotha). 18 Bambethela khona lapho kanye labanye ababili, ngapha langapha kwakhe, uJesu waba phakathi.
19 UPhilathu waloba umbhalo wananyathiselwa esiphambanweni. Wawubhalwe ukuthi:
UJesu waseNazaretha, iNkosi yamaJuda.
20 AmaJuda amanengi awufunda umbhalo lowo ngoba lapho uJesu ayebethelwe khona kwakuseduze ledolobho, umbhalo lowo wawulotshwe ngesiHebheru, ngesiLathini langesiGrikhi. 21 Abaphristi abakhulu bamaJuda basola kuPhilathu bathi, “Ungalobi uthi ‘INkosi yamaJuda,’ kodwa umuntu lo wayezibiza ngokuthi uyinkosi yamaJuda.”
22 UPhilathu waphendula wathi, “Esengikulobile, sengikulobile.”
23 Kwathi amabutho esembethele uJesu, athatha izigqoko zakhe azabelana, zaba zingxenye ezine, zilingene ibutho linye ngalinye, kwasala isigqoko sangaphansi. Sona sasingelamthungo, silukwe sonke kusukela phezulu kusiya phansi.
24 Bacebisana bathi, “Kasingasidabuli. Kasikhetheni ngenkatho ukuthi sibe ngesikabani.”*
Lokhu kwenzakala ukuze kugcwaliseke umbhalo owathi:
“Babelana izembatho zami
benza inkatho ngezigqoko zami.”
Yikho lokhu amabutho akwenzayo.
25 Eduze kwesiphambano sakhe uJesu kwakumi unina, udadewabo kanina, uMariya umkaKlopasi loMariya Magadalini. 26 UJesu wathi ebona unina lapho lomfundi ayemthanda emi lapho eduze, wathi kunina, “Mama, nansi indodana yakho,” 27 wathi kumfundi, “Nangu unyoko.” Kusukela kulesosikhathi umfundi lowo wamthatha unina wamusa ekhaya lakhe.
Ukufa KukaJesu
28 Ngemva kwalesosikhathi, uJesu esesazi ukuthi konke kwasekuphelele njalo ukuze umbhalo ugcwaliseke, wathi, “Ngomile.” 29 Kwakubekwe imbodlela yewayini yeviniga khonapho, basebegxamuza kuyo uzipho baluxhuma eluthini lwesihlahlakazana sehisophi, baluphakamisela endebeni zikaJesu. 30 Esenathile wathi, “Sekuphelile.” Esetshonjalo wagobisa ikhanda lakhe wafa.
31 Lolo kwakulusuku lokuLungiselela, ngosuku olulandelayo kwakuzakuba liSabatha eliqakathekileyo. Ngenxa yokuthi amaJuda ayengafuni izidumbu zisale eziphambanweni ngeSabatha, acela uPhilathu ukuthi kwephulwe amalunga emilenze lezidumbu zethulwe. 32 Yikho amabutho eza ephula imilenze yendoda yakuqala eyayibethelwe loJesu, aphinda lakweyinye. 33 Kodwa athi efika kuJesu ebona ukuthi wayevele esefile, kawasazephulanga izitho zakhe. 34 Endaweni yalokho elinye ibutho lamciba uJesu ngomkhonto ohlangothini, kwantshaza igazi lamanzi. 35 Umuntu owakubonayo usebulethile ubufakazi, njalo ubufakazi bakhe buliqiniso. Uyazi ukuthi ukhuluma iqiniso njalo ufakazela ukuthi lani libe lokukholwa. 36 Lezizinto zenzakala ukuze kugcwaliseke umbhalo othi: “Kalikho lalinye ithambo lakhe elizakwephulwa,”† 37 lomunye umbhalo uthi, “Bazakhangela kulowo abamgwazayo.”‡
Ukungcwatshwa KukaJesu
38 Ngemva kwalokho, uJosefa wase-Arimathiya wacela isidumbu sikaJesu kuPhilathu. UJosefa lo wayengumfundi kaJesu kodwa wayekufihla ngoba wayesesaba amaJuda. Eselemvumo kaPhilathu weza wasithatha isidumbu. 39 Wayephathiswa nguNikhodimasi, indoda leyana eyayike yeza kuJesu ebusuku. UNikhodimasi weza lamakha emure lenhlaba engaba lesisindo samaphawundi angamatshumi ayisikhombisa lanhlanu. 40 Bobabili bathatha isidumbu sikaJesu basigcoba ngalawomakha njalo basigoqela ngamaqhele elineni. Lokhu kwakungumkhuba wamaJuda wokungcwaba. 41 Endaweni lapho uJesu abethelwa khona kwakulesivande, esivandeni kulethuna elitsha okwakungakaze kungcwatshwe muntu kulo. 42 Ngenxa yokuthi kwakulusuku lokulungiselela lwamaJuda njalo ngenxa yokuthi ithuna laliseduze, bamngcwaba khonapho uJesu.
* 19:24 AmaHubo 22.18 † 19:36 U-Eksodasi 12.46; AmaNani 9.12; AmaHubo 34.20 ‡ 19:37 UZakhariya 12.10